Wood-heel-block clamp



.Auge 2&3, 1928'.

WC J., SHAW WOOD HEEL lBLCK CLAMP Filed oct., 14, 1926 T7706 :75h74 J Siva/w wesley @d 6L f/VOW Weg Patented Aug. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES ,PATENT oEFIcE.

WESLEY .ToHN sHAW, or HAVEEHTLL, MASSACHUSETTS, AssrcNoR ToL NEW ENGLAND Woon HEEL co., or HAVEEHILT., MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or MASSA- CHUSETTS.

WOOD-HEEL-BLOCK CLAMP.

Application filed October 14, 1926. Serial No. 141,485.

The present invention relates to machines for operating upon shoe heels, and more particularly to wood-heel-block-clamping machines for holding a wood-heel block while it is covered with leather, fabric or other l covering material.

According to present practice, after the wood-heel block has been completely shaped, it is clamped in position with one hand and 19 the covering is then applied. If the clamp.- ing force applied is too light, the heel block lwill slip out `of position during the covering operation. If the clamping force is too great, the heel block may become destroyed by the resulting pressure. Such Adestruction entails a loss not merely in material but, more important still, in the vast amount of labor attendant upon the sawing, grooving, turning, concaving, and other 2@ processes to which the heel block was subjected before itv reached its finished condi? tion. 'Furthermore, the necessity for using one hand to clamp the block prevents this hand from aiding the other hand at such times during the covering process, which slows up production, thereby further 1ncreasing the labor cost.

It is an object of the present invention,

therefore, to improve upon machines of the above-described character, to the end that the pressure upon the heelblock shall be made neither too great nor too small, and.

sothat theoperator shall have his hands always available for-production work. With this and'other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved heel-block clamp a.` preferred embodiment of which is hereinafter described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings and defined in-the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side eleva- '.tion-of a heel-block clamp constructed according vto a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a -front elevation of the same. According. to the preferred embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in the drawings, a wood heel 2 is clamped between lower` and upper jaws4 and 6 of a clamp 8.

As the wood-heel block has already been finished, except forthe covering operation, prior to its insertion intoA the clamp, its upper face is shown concaved at 10. The heel block is inverted in the drawings, the

concaved face of theblock being shown below the tread 12 of the heel. The jaw 4 is convex to correspond to the concavity of the concave face 10.; but the jaw 6 is more or less flat. Both jaws are preferably toothed, as illustrated, to provide for a more secure clamping action.

The upper jaw 6 is vertically movable downward toward the lower jaw 4, from the full-line position of Figs. 1 and 2 to the dotted-line position of Fig. 1. In order to center the heel block 2 between the jaws 4 and 6, thev lower jaw is made horizontally adjustable in the plane of the drawing, over a stationary frame '11 by means of a pinand-slot connection 13, 14, and it may be locked in'adjusted position by a nut 16.`

Dii'erently Shaped heel blocks require, in

addition to this horizontal adjustment, a pivotal adjustment of the lconvex jaw 4, and

,this jaw is accordingly shown pivoted in a vertical plane, in the direction of the' arrow, about a horizontal pivot 18. The jaw 4 may be locked in pivotally adjusted osition in any desired way. It is preferre however, to have the jaw freely pivotal. With such free pivotal movement, the jaw 4 will normally occupy the dot-and-dash position of Fig. 1, and the operator will lace a heel block thereon and move it, toget er with the jaw 4 engaged thereby, pivotally in the direction of the arrow, at the same time causing the jaw 6 to descend by a foot-operation on a treadle 20. Time is'saved, and the operator is enabled to use both hands for the covering operation.

The actuation of the movable jaw 6 may be eiected by a plunger 22 at the lower end of whichit is carried. The other end of the plunger is provided with va block 24 shown in Fig. 1 in engagement with a diaphragm 26 of a fluid-pressure chamber 28. In response to an increase in the fluid pressure in the chamber, the plunger 22 will be caused to travel downward through guides 30, and the plunger may be caused to return upward in any desired way, as by springfpres-y sure, when the fluid pressure is decreased.

The fluid under pressure enters the chamber by way of a=pipe 32 in which is a -valve 34. The valve 34 is connected with the treadle 20 by a treadle rod 36. Actuation of the treadle in one direction will cause the valve to open, thereby admitting iiuid under pressure into the chamber through the pipe 32 from a source of Huid-pressurev supply (not shown). Upon the release of the Y treadle, a spring 38 will close the valve and permit the Huid pressure in the chamber to exhaust. The details of the valve are not illustrated, as any well known two-way valve may be employed.

The plunger 22, the chamber 28, the pipe 32 and the valve 34 are mounted as a unit upon a frame 40 that is vertically adjustable with respect to the frame 11, thereby providing for uniform pressure by the jaw 6 u on the tread l2 irres ective of the heig t of the heel. To provlde for this adjustment, the frame l1 is provided with a vertically upstanding bracket 42 having beveled side tongues 44 that are slidably received in beveled grooves 46 of the movable frame 40. The movable frame 40 is slotted vertically at 4l and may be locked in vertically adjusted position on the bracket 42 by clamping the parts together by a handle 48, this being permitted by the slot 41. A turn buckle 50 on the rod 36 permits adjustment of the frame 4() and the parts carried thereby as a unit without disturbing the position of the treadle 20. The spring 38 is adjustable with the frame 40, being fixed at one end to the valve and at the other to a projecting heel 52 of the frame 40.

Modifications will readily occur to persons skilled in the art and all such are considered to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the append'ed claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A heel-block clamp for use in covering concaved wood-heel blocks having, in combination, a convex jaw adapted to 'engage the concave face of the block, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the block, and foot-controlled, fluid-pressure means for actuating the cooperating jaw towards the convex jaw.

2. A heel-block clamp for use in-covering concaved wood-heel blocks having, in combination, a convex jaw adapted to engage the concave face of the block, the jaw being freely pivoted to rock in a vertical plane, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the block, and foot-controlled, fluid pressure means for lactuating' the cooperating jaw vertically downward towards the convex jaw, whereby the operator may with his hands mount the block on the convex jaw and swing it on the convex jaw into po sition under the cooperating jaw during the actuation of the cooperating jaw and then apply a covering to the block.

3.'A heel-block clamp for use in covering concaved wood-heel blocks having, in combination, a convex jaw adapted to engage the concave faceof the block. the jaw boing wards and from the operator and being slidably adjustable horizontally, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the block, foot-controlled means for actuating the cooperating jaw vertically downward towards the convex jaw, and means for vertically adjusting the cooperating jaw.

4. A heel-block clamp for use in covering concaved wood-heel blocks having, in combination, a stationary frame, a convex jaw carried by the trarne adapted to engage the concave tace of the block, a frame vertically movable with respect to the stationary frame, a cooperatingjaw carried by the movable frame adapted to engage the tread of the block, a fluid-pressurechamber carried by the movable frame, a pipe through which fluid under pressure is adapted to enter the chamber, a valve for controlling the flow of Huid under pressure through the pipe, a spring connected to the frame and to the movable frame to maintain the valve biased towards a closed position, foot-controlled means for opening the valve in oj position to the force exerted by the spring, the iiuid in the chamber being adapted thereupon to actuate the cooperating jaw vertically downward towards the convex jaw, means for vertically adjusting the movable frame and the parts carried thereby as a unit, and means for adjusting the convex jaw horizontally and pivotally.

5. A heel-block clamp having, in combination, a convex jaw adapted to engage the concave Jface of a concaved heel block, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the heel'block, and fluid-pressure means for relatively actuating the jaws towards each other.

6. A heel-block clamp having, in combination, a convex jaw adapted to engage the concave face of a concaved heel block, a cooperating jaw adapted to engagethe tread of the heel block, fluid-pressure means for actuating the cooperating jaw into engagement with the tread, and means whereby the convex jaw automatically adjusts itself to the yielding pressure .exerted through the block by the fluid-pressure means.

7. A heel-block clamp having, in combination, a convex jaw adapted to engage the concave face of a concaved heel block, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the heel block, fluid-pressure means for relatively actuating the jaws towards each other, means for adjusting one of the jaws in a direction at right angles to the direction of relative actuation of the jaws, and means for pivoting one of the jaws in the plane determined by the lines of relative actuation and adjustment.

8. A heel-block clamp having, in combination, a convex jaw adapted to engage the concave face of a concaved heel block, a co- MEG pivotally adjustable in a vcrtical plane tooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread T13@ of the heel block, {luid-pressure means for relatively actuating the jaws towards each other, and means for relatively adjusting the jaws in the direction of their relative actuation.

9 A heel-block clamp having, in combination, a 'convex jaw adapted to engage the concave face of a concaved heel block, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the heel block, a fluid-pressure chamber, means controlled by the fluid pressure in the chamber for actuating the cooperating jaw towards the convex jaw, a valve for controlling the fluid pressure in the chamber,` and means for adjusting the cooperating jaw, the chamber and the valve as a unit.

10. A heel-block clamp having, in combination, a convex jaw adapted to engage the concave face of a concaved heel block, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the heel block, a fluid-pressure chamber, means controlled by the iuid pressure in the chamber for actuating thecooperating javi towards the convex jaw, a valve for co-ntroling the fluid pressure in the chamber, a spring connected with the-valve and with a wall of the chamber, means for actuating the valve in opposition to the force exerted by the spring, and means for adjusting the cooperating jaw, the chamber, the valve and the spring as a unit.

l1. A heel-block clamp having, in combination, a stationary frame, a convex jaw carried by the frame adapted to engage the concave face of a concaved heel block, a frame movable with respect to the stationary frame, a cooperating jaw carried by the movable frame adapted to engage the tread of the heel block, a fluid-pressure chamber carried by the movable frame and provided with a diaphragm, a plunger one end of which is engaged by one side of the diaphragm and the other end of which carries 4the cooperating jaw, a pipe through which uid under pressure is adapted to enter the chamber and to" exert pressure upon the other side of the diaphragm, a valve for l2. A heel-block clamp for use in coveri ing concaved wood-heel blocks having, in combination, a jaw adapted to engage the concave face of the block, the jaw being freely pivoted to rock in a vertical plane, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the bloc-lr, and fluid-pressure means for actuating the cooperating jaw vertically downward towards the first-named jaw, whereby the operator may with his hands mount the block on the lirst-named jaw and swing it on the first named jaw into position under the cooperating jaw during the actuation of the cooperating `aw and then apply a covering to the bloc 13. A heel-block clamp for use in covering concaved wood-heel blocks having, in combination, a jaw adapted to engage the concave face of the heel block, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the heel block, and fluid-pressure means for relatively actuating the jaws towards each other.

14. A heel-block clamp for use in covering concaved wood-heel blocks having, in combination, a jaw adapted to engage/the concave face of the heel block, a cooperating jaw adapted to engage the tread of the heel block, fluid-pressure means for actuating the cooperating jaw into engagement with the tread, and means whereby the firstnamed jaw automatically adjusts itself to the yielding pressure exerted through the block by the fluid-pressure means.

In testimony whereof I have 'hereunto subscribed my name.

WESLEY J. SHAW. 

